Downtrodden
by crazyanimefreak15
Summary: SONGFIC Raven stood alone at the edge of the bridge. The cold night making her body go numb as she waited. She just wanted someone to find her. RavenXRed X Now a story!
1. Downtrodden

A song fic based off of Abney Park's song, Downtrodden. Hope it's okay.

Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN TEEN TITANS NOR DO I OWN THE SONG!

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><p>I thought with the defeat of my father, my life would finally start. I had thought that my days would be filled with the joy my friends brought to it along with the satisfaction that defeating the villains brought. And that's how it started. Every day was a new adventure as I searched for new limits, and it brought me joy. Yet, this joy brought another realization to my attention, one that now brings me standing alone on a bridge in the cold darkness of the night. My entire life was spent training and working to make up for the horrible things I had been destined to do, but now…what did I have that was truly mine? I was even starting to lose her friends. They were getting older now; they were starting to look for things like love. Robin and Starfire were together, finally; Beastboy had Terra, and Cyborg had Bumblebee. Who did I have? Who would always be there for me? I can't believe that I had once thought that this would last forever. But, I never did, did I? I just never acknowledged the possibility of an end. Now everything that I depended on for stability in my life was disappearing.<p>

_Once I was complete  
>With the earth firm under my feet<br>My back was strong, my body fleet  
>And now I ache all over<br>Now I ache all over  
><em>

I didn't give up hope, at first. I continued the belief that we would all still be together. But then movie night started to turn to date night and I found myself bothered less and less by request to go to the park for a group outing or to the roof for a game of 'stankball' or some other such game. I even found that they became more and more dependent on each other, their synchronicity became more pronounced, too bad that that didn't include me. I even dared to ignore a few calls, just trying to get Robin riled up to yell at me. I just wanted them to notice that I was still here. Not even that worked. I worked hard when I was little, but the monks never expected me to become an adult, and, frankly, neither did I, so, I lacked the knowledge in areas of life. This included the part about growing up, about love, and about the future. What could I do now?

_I learned each virtue I was told  
>I worked hard to avoid the mold<br>But as I saw my life unfold  
>There was no place for me<br>There was no place for me  
><em>

Azarath was gone, and the only people I knew didn't notice me anymore, I had nothing left from my past. I wasn't even needed to save the day anymore. I was losing everything and there was nothing I could grab to replace it. There was nothing I could use to make a net, there was only a black abyss that I had ahead of me. I tried to find a job, first as Raven, because I really had nothing else to go as, but nobody wanted me. They didn't want their place of business to turn into a tourist attraction because of me nor were they keen on the idea of possible being targeted. I didn't blame them. Then I tried an alias, Rachel. But, Rachel had no school records; no birth certificate, nothing, and I didn't have the skill to create such things. And I dared not ask Cyborg, he would tell me I was being silly.

_I've been beat, I've been broken  
>I asked for a place and the world has spoken<br>I was asleep, but now that I've woken  
>I preferred my dreams.<br>_

Continually I thought back to the days, the days when I would glare daggers at Beastboy for interrupting my solitude to drag me off to referee another weird game he just came up with, but, secretly, I enjoyed every minute of it. Nothing brought me more joy then to be working or playing side by side with my friends. It felt like it all ended too soon, and now I was being left alone, so far behind them all that not even my screams would probably reach them. I could only watch as they slip further and further from my out reached hand as the ground crumbles beneath me, ready to swallow me up and make me disappear forever. I wished for those joyful days to return.

_I'm tired guilt, I'm tired of crying  
>I'm tired of work and I'm finished trying<br>I'm tired of living and I'm scared of dying  
>But there is nothing else.<br>_

My nearly nightly ventures to this bridge out in the middle of nowhere slowly became daily ventures. Sometimes, when the depression gets particularly bad, I would stay here for almost two days, that number slowly grew. But, what was worse was when I came back, they would have hardly noticed me missing. If I was lucky, one of them would give me a; _'Hey, Raven, did you have a nice meditation?' _And that made it all the harder to stay. They never noticed me gone for days at a time. Was I that unimportant?

_It was hard as I begun;  
>Each day harder it has become.<br>_

Every time I came, my eyes would gaze down at the reflective waters below; wondering if today would be the day I would decide to join their lazy travels. I would always wonder how long it would take the Titans to notice that I never returned. Would some sixth sense kick in and they would instantly know that something was wrong? That I was no longer among the living? Or would it be that they would slowly begin to notice the dust gathering on my tea cup as my tea remains untouched and begin to wonder? Would they even notice I was gone before my body was discovered? The curiosity to find out grows stronger and stronger, and I am beginning to wonder how long would I be able to fight the urge to find out the answer?

_Once I was complete  
>With the earth firm under my feet<br>My back was strong, my body fleet  
>And now I ache all over<br>Now I ache all over  
><em>

I always go back, hoping maybe this was the time they would notice me missing. Maybe today they would be looking for me. Maybe they finally notice me missing. I didn't want to disappear, after fighting my father, after everything I've done to live; I didn't want to throw it all away. But I just couldn't find someplace to belong as the life that I had fought for slipped away, leaving me with nothing, belonging nowhere. It wouldn't be long before I no longer had the strength to fight, I might not have already. I have noticed my powers were slipping, my depression causing them to also become as unreachable as my friends. I also noticed I was starting to not bother reaching for either.

_I learned each virtue I was told  
>I worked hard to avoid the mold<br>But as I saw my life unfold  
>There was no place for me<br>There was no place for me  
><em>

How long did life expect me to wait? Was it that 'God' was laughing at me? Was 'He' looking down at the pitiful half-demon with disgust that most of Azarath had looked at me with? Azar, I didn't know how much longer I could wait, how much would I have to endure before I would find happiness that would last? I was no longer wanted in the only place I called my home. The giant T loomed every time I returned from my suburban hideaway, a foreshadowing solitary figure that told of my loneliness while it gave the rest of the city hope. The only people I had come to call my family didn't even acknowledge me anymore, I failed to see where the hope that the T brought to the rest of the city.

_I've been beat, I've been broken  
>I asked for a place and the world has spoken<br>I was asleep, but now that I've woken  
>I preferred my dreams.<br>_

A cold breeze brought me back to staring at the empty waters below, chilling me into a needed numbness. I leaned against the cold bars of the fence erected for the protection of those crossing; preventing anyone from falling it, and, now, it only helped my numbness. The quiet waters below moving hypnotically slow, tempting me with the peace that I sought. The waters seemed to want me. Why did I fight that?

_I'm tired of guilt, I'm tired of crying  
>I'm tired of living and I'm scared of dying<br>I'm tired of work and I'm finished trying  
>But there is nothing else.<em>

Today was the day. I was tired of waiting. I was tired of fighting. I was tired of falling. I was tired of crying. And as I slipped between the bars that had always separated me from the edge, fear welled in my chest, fear that the calm, dark waters below didn't seem to quell. Them moved below me slowly and silently, exempted from the light the moon reflected, causing it to look like the dark abyss that had plagued me for years after the defeat of my father. I stood at the edge, my toes curled around the edge through the thin soles of my boots as my grip on the bars loosened. "It's not like anyone would even notice." I spoke out loud. Those would be the first words I have spoken out loud in a long time; Ironic that they would be my last. I let go and closed my eyes as I fell, feeling the pain disappear as my body started its plunge towards the icy nothingness.

_It was hard as I begun;  
>Each day harder it has become.<br>_

It was a moment after I felt my feet leave the surface of the bridge was when I felt a pair of arms wrap around me and pull me back, forcing my feet back to cold surface of the bridge, and my body against a warm chest. "I don't think so, Sunshine." Cooed an all too familiar synthetized voice.

_Once I was complete  
>With the earth firm under my feet<br>My back was strong, my body fleet  
>Now I ache all over<br>Now I ache all over_

"Let me go, please, just let me go, X." I pleaded, my voice sounding more tired and desperate then I had realized I was. I just wanted to disappear, and, if his tightening grip told me anything, he wasn't going to allow it.

"After all that I went through to find you? Not a chance, Sunshine." He said quietly, his ever annoying chuckle accompanying it. His arrogant attitude was only bringing my rage to the surface as I tried to fight back frustrated tears with little success. Why? Why was it that this…_**thief**_ noticed me before my own friends did? Why was he the only one who seemed to care?

"I caught you, Raven, and I'm not letting you go." He quietly promised in my ear as we stood alone on that bridge in the dark of the night. There was finally someone there to offering me a hand to help me walk.

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><p>My first Red X Rae fic. Just something that came to me at 7 am after being woken up at 5am. Hope it was okay at least.<p> 


	2. The Next Morning

**You all ask, and I shall try and deliver. This will finally become a story!**

**The Next Morning**

To say Red X was in a panic would be an understatement. There was a hero sleeping in his bed. A TEEN TITAN sleeping in his bed. He wanted desperately to know what had possessed him to take her here. It was one of the most unbelievable situations he had ever been in. It was to the point unbelievable that if he could go back into time right now and warn himself, he would have just laughed at himself. And, as he came up with an idea of where to go, his thoughts then returned to earlier that night.

_ It was in the early part of the previous evening and Red X was feeling a bit bored. So, he decided to go 'relieve' a jewelry store of some 'overstock'. He could have done it easily without tripping the alarm, but then where would the fun be if the Traffic Light and his team didn't know about it? After all, it had been awhile since he had last said hello to his favorite group of annoyances. And, he heard that they gained a new member, Beastboy's girlfriend. X also knew for a fact that Bumblebee from the Titans East was visiting Cyborg today. This meant he now was eager to meet the two ladies and then embarrass their boyfriends in front of them. Yup, the plans were set, and he was ready for some fun._

_And he wasn't disappointed when they showed up in record time. They were no doubt fueled by their leader's determination to catch him; all six of them. After the usual banter between him and Robin, the seventh member still hadn't shown up. Red X was good because of his observational skills. Raven was nowhere to be seen and she was supposed to be here. He grinned, under his mask at the seemingly desperate play that the Traffic Light Titan seemed to have. Having her stay hidden and take him out when she had the chance was what he assumed at first. Thus, the battle began. It was easy to take them all out, and he had fun doing it. He would admit, if only to himself, the Terra girl and Bumblebee posed a little hiccup, merely for the fact that he wasn't familiar with them. The entire time, he was expecting- and found himself oddly disappointed- when the dark bird didn't show up. Even after he took them all out, she didn't show. And he found that he was insulted by this. He worked hard to attract attention and she didn't even bother to show?_

_ Red X walked towards his captive toys, standing over the incapacitated Robin, who was struggling against the red X that bonded his arms to his side, and another X that tied his feet together, leaving him face down on the cold tar. Not too far off, was Starfire, stuck to the wall so she couldn't fly off, she was a little bruised, but, mostly irritated. Bumblebee and Beastboy were stuck together in the same goopy X that he always used against the dimwitted Titan, and this time he was kind enough to take out Bumblebee in the same web for him. Terra finally was stopped by the same type of trap that Starfire had fallen to, and now she was stuck with her face against the wall of another building, just a few feet away from where X had shut down Cyborg. Even after all this, that girl did not show, and X had even dragged it on to draw her out, adding more bruises then necessary to Robin's form then were completely necessary._

_ Now he was getting tired of waiting. "Where's the ray of Sunshine?" He asked the fallen leader, who responded with narrowed eyes. But, then, ever slowly, X noticed Robin's eyes move away, ever so slightly. He was scanning the area around him. Red X frowned under his mask. "You don't know? How do you not notice your teammate didn't show up?" But then, he noticed the other looks from the Titans. First, from Starfire, who was in his line of sight; she, too, was looking around, more obviously then Robin, she looked confused, and a bit shocked. She didn't notice either? A quick scan of the rest of the fallen team confirmed the rest of the team was also unaware of where she was. Red X couldn't believe it._

"_How could you just forget about a teammate?" He asked, shocked and a little angry. He didn't understand where the anger was coming from. Sure, he always found her the most interesting of the Titans, but, why did he care? But he did. Now he had to know what she felt was so important that she could blow him off. He had to finish his plans for the night. He planned to annoy the Titans and he was going to annoy every last one of them. To do this, he needed to find Raven, and he knew how to find her quickly and without much effort. A little dig through the protesting Robin's pocket produced his communicator. "Guess I'll just borrow this then." X said before he disappeared, leaving the team alone and incapacitated._

_ It didn't take long for X to figure out how to activate the tracker on the communicator, and it took even less time to figure out the dot that had to be Raven, and as he set off, he found himself wondering again why he really did have to find her and why it had bothered him so much that they forgot about her. It took him an hour to get in sight of his prey. He saw her standing on the bridge, staring out into the water below and he had to wonder why she was there. Staring at the water was more important than helping her team?_

_That was when he saw her slip between the bars, and everything seemed to slow down. He dashed across the bridge, moving between the bars without thinking. And before his brain could come back online, he had reached out and his arms wrapped around her tiny waist as he pulled her back._

Raven remained still as she lay on the bed, keeping her eyes shut. Last night had felt so unreal to her, even now the haze of last night lingered and she found herself wondering if it had all just been a dream. It would have been a weird dream to her, to say the least. Why would she dream of Red X saving her? But, more importantly, should she be concerned that she was dreaming about killing herself, even if she was saved? She also wasn't sure she wanted it not to be.

"_I caught you, Raven, and I'm not letting you go." He had told her, whispering the promise into her ear, he sounded so sincere that she couldn't help believe it. That was how she found herself remaining in his arms, just staring at the waters below, wondering where to go from here. _

"_I don't want to go home." She managed out hoarsely. She was tired, too tired to try and keep a front up, even for the thief who made it his goal to annoy everyone he came in contact with. But what she wasn't expecting was to suddenly be swept up into his arms bridal style. She couldn't suppress the gasp of surprise that slipped by her lips._

"_Who said I was going to let you? Finder's, Keeper's, Babe. You're mine." He teased the heroine who turned a color of red. But despite the clear discomfort she felt at being picked up by the thief, she didn't fight. She really didn't have the strength anymore. For tonight, she needed someone to sweep her off her feet and take her away. But, she couldn't allow herself to be that easy._

"_Don't call me Babe." She muttered trying to sound threatening, but she knew she failed at it. And the chuckle it earned from Red X was a clear testimony to this, before she found herself being taken away to some unknown location while cradled in the arms of the infamous Red X. He didn't say much as he took the tired heroine to his cycle and took off. Raven tried, but she found herself falling asleep soon after._

Raven finally forced her eyes open, shutting them again when she was blinded by the sunshine filtering in. She already knew this wasn't her room, her windows weren't located right by the bed along with the fact that they were heavily blocked out to keep the illumination in her room to a minimum. She rolled over to try opening her eyes again. This time, she was able to open her eyes without a problem. A darker teal color greeted her, the walls were colored that she noticed as she sat up in the bed. The sheets that rolled off her were that of black sheets with a plain blue comforter. She noticed with some horror that the sheets beside her on the queen bed were already pulled back and she knew instantly that Red X probably slept beside her that night.

A shiver went down her spine at the thought and she quickly got out of bed, taking a quick stock of her clothes to make sure he didn't do anything else inappropriate while she slept. To her slight relief, she was still wearing her leotard, but her boots and cloak were missing. She looked around to see if they were in the room, not too keen on the idea of facing Red X after her little moment of weakness last night, but, her search turned up nothing but clear indication that this was clearly a room that a male lived in. And a male who wasn't expecting company if the random clothes shoved into his closet were any indication of that. Well, she had no choice after that and had to head towards the door.

She was lead into a hallway with bare walls of golden-brown. She knew they weren't always like this; if the empty nails sticking from the walls were any indication of that. On the same wall as the bedroom was another doorway behind her and to her left, right before the end of the hall. The door was shut and Raven found herself curious, but deciding against opening the door. Across the hall were another shut door, and a little ways to her right, an open door leading to the bathroom. She wondered vaguely if this door was purposely left open so that she would know where it was. She past the door heading down the hall some ways before heading down a flight of stairs that she found at the end.

She moved quietly, her bare feet proving effective at this on the dark hardwood floor and then again on the wooden stairs. She didn't know why she felt the need to be quiet, but she did. Maybe it was because she was still not sure if she was ready to face the thief after her embarrassing action the previous night. And, she found that she was in the clear as she came to the landing of the stairs. It lead into an open hallway that, on right side lead to the kitchen, and, separated by a half wall, the other side lead to what appeared to be the living room.

With the wall there, she could not see much of the living room, so she turned her attention to the kitchen. The floor was still of the similar dark wood flooring as the upstairs was, and the walls were painted in most places with a dark forest green. The cabinets were of the same dark wood that the floors were with shades of green and dark greys mixed into the granite. The backsplash was of tiled dark greens and greys to match the walls and counters.

That was about all she noticed from the kitchen before she realized that she wasn't alone in the room as she had thought at first. Red X had his back to her and in the dark kitchen- light-blocking curtains had been pulled over what Raven presumed was the sliding back door and a window above the sink-in his black suit, he almost blended in. She inched over to her right to see if she could see what he was doing, jumping when he suddenly spoke.

"Good morning, Sunshine. Sleep well?" He asked in his synthesized voice before he shut the doors to the cabinet he was looking through.

"Fine." She responded simply, feeling that she had to be at least a little polite seeing as he was the one who let her stay over, and that was after saving her from a mistake that she regretted even now. With that in mind, she forced out the next bit of politeness. "Did you sleep well?" She tried not to make it sound forced, but he probably still could tell it was.

"I slept just wonderfully. After all, I had someone to hold the whole night." Red X said, tauntingly as he turned to look at Raven as she tried and failed to fight back a blush. He was no doubt had a smug grin under the mask.

"You should have just left me on the couch." She muttered, turning away to try and control the spreading reddening of her face. It was one thing to have a feeling; it was another to have it so openly declared by the thief. Sure, she knew he probably left his suit on, and she knew that her leotard was left on, but the thought of sleeping in the arms of Red X sent her emotions wild. While Happy was glad to not to have been alone again; Knowledge was telling her that it was completely innocent, as such, over-lookable; while Timid was making her want to hide her face and never see the thief again; and it went on and on. Each emotion sending her a different way to think about it, and it was starting to give her a headache.

"But why would I do that? I can't watch you if you're not with me." He responded, starting to take steps to shorten the distance between him and the Titan.

"I don't need to be watched. I appreciate what you did for me, but I have to go now." Raven quickly stated, not wanting him near her at the moment. She hoped he would stop, but he didn't.

"Hang on just a minute. I have a proposition for you." He said, now only a few feet away from her.

"I don't make deals with villains." She stated in response, not moving despite the want to. She did not want to be stuck between Red X and the wall, but moving would mean he was getting to her, and she couldn't allow that.

"After what I've done for you, the least you could do is hear me out." He said, stopping just less than a foot away from her, making Raven feel like a boxed in mouse looking up at a cat. She took a deep breath and let it out in a sigh, trying to make it seem like she wasn't feeling like prey at the moment.

"Fine, I'll hear what you have to say." Raven finally said, shifting her weight so she could be at least a little farther from the hovering thief.

"You just stay here and find out how far your team is willing to go for you."

"What do you mean?" Now she was confused, it sounded like he wanted to help her, he may have saved her, but why help her more?

"They know I have you, let's see how hard they search for you." He said, like it was a game rather than real life. But, she knew him too well. There was no price mentioned.

"What do you get from this?"

"The joy of driving Robin crazy with the knowledge that I have something of his." His cryptic answer actually made complete sense, but it wasn't what she had been looking for.

"What do you want?" She tried again.

"Ah, we'll see what we can work out. Nothing illegal, I promise you. Wouldn't want to spoil your heroic records." Raven grimaced at the thought, but there was something else to this. He couldn't walk around like Red X, it would draw attention, he would have to dress in normal clothing, without his mask.

"I would have to see your face, how do you know I won't turn around and tell the others who you are." She tried, trying to gain an upper hand somewhere, but to no avail. He clearly had this all planned out despite the lack of time he clearly had to make it in. His response didn't miss a beat.

"Because then I'll tell them the circumstances of our meeting. Don't you think I have a camera in my suit? And you know what they do to little suicidal girls, right? They don't get to play heroes anymore. Besides that, it's illegal to commit suicide."

Raven gritted her teeth, he was right; if he really did have a video then she would be locked up in an asylum. So, he had her there. It was one thing to keep in mind that as much as Red X was a nuisance, he wasn't dangerous. So, she wasn't too concerned with him doing anything that would make her regret agreeing to this term. But, more to the point was his offer. She could finally find out what she was worth to them. How important was she to them? But, at what cost would this information be to her? Nothing illegal didn't really narrow it down, there was many things legal she didn't want to do. Though, the real question was, was she really ready to find out? What if it ended up that she wasn't important to them? That she had become an unnecessary asset to them that they were willing to lose? She knew they would look for her, if only to put up a front, and, maybe slightly out of guilt, but how long was long enough for them to search? And what would she do if it wasn't enough? But, could she really go back to the way things were before? Of course things will get better to begin with because of their guilt over forgetting her, but how long would that last before she started getting lost in the background again?

An unknown price for an unknown outcome, it seemed almost fitting. Raven closed her eyes again and took a deep breath, calming her racing heart. She really had nothing more she could lose, but everything to gain.

"Okay." Was all she felt she needed to say. But, even the small two syllable word felt heavy in her mouth, her chest feeling heavy at what she just agreed to do, but she refused to regret it.

"Good, then I guess we better get our day started." He said with a grin.

**There we have it, the new second chapter of this story. The biggest pain I have ever written. Not including the previous posted version, I rewrote this 3 times. **


	3. IMPORTANT! READ Author's Note

** Hey everyone! I'm back! And with an idea! I wanted to post this because I have completely changed the second chapter. But, I don't think edits get sent out in alerts. So, everyone go back to the last chapter and read it anew. It is now the start of a story rather than the short funny extra I had originally had it be. With that said, I have a few more things to say:**

**First to ****TheMaskedShuppeteer****, and to ****missd1athlete****; thank-you for being the first two reviews! Because you both mentioned you wanted more, I actually started to think about it. I know I responded to the reviews already by mail, but, I had to say it again here. And, thank-you for agreeing to help me. Same goes to anyone reading this, you have an idea, even if it's just a little event or something, let me know! I could use all the help I can get!**

** And, to ****heyheyheyhey****, yes, they were posted the same day. **

** There is one more thanks I have to put, and that is to ****Jen-NCIS-Lover****. I had an idea as to what I was going to do, similar to what I'm going to do now, but still significantly different. I had most of the new chapter written when you posted your comment. One part in particular is what really made me stop: "I really want to see what to see happens between Raven and the other titans - as well as Raven and Red X." I have to admit, it through me into a bit of a crises. I didn't know what to do, continue with what I had in mind, or start anew? I had been having a problem sorting out certain issues with the first idea, but then it hit me. Combining what you wanted to see with my original idea, I personally think, will make a better story. I don't want to spoil anything, so I will keep it that vague.**

**Alright, with all the thanks said, I have to tell you all one more thing. I've never written romance before. That, combine with the fact that I am pretty much making this all up as I go along, it's going to be slow going for this story. But, I think that this is a challenge I would like to give a shot to. Please help me by letting me know what you think. I will not take offense to anything negative said, I'm an artist, too after all, I've learned to deal with criticism and use it to make things better. So, let me know what parts you liked and what parts you didn't.**

**Thank-you all for everything!**


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